When less becomes more: Why India's Gen Z is redefining consumption, opting for 'minimalism'

Call it maturity, a newfound appreciation of money, or just consumer fatigue, but Deva has recently found herself increasingly questioning every purchase she makes, or even those she has made in the past.

"We buy so many things that seem important at the time, usually without thinking it through. But then you realise it was just money down the drain. Having too many things, too many options, it just feels messy. When I received my first salary this month [January 2026], I just didn’t feel like buying anything,” she explains.

What Deva, who is also studying to be a chartered accountant, is experiencing, or embodying, is the philosophy of ‘minimalism’, or quite literally “less is more”.

Coined as a term in the 1960s by British philosopher Richard Arthur Wollheim as a philosophy of art, minimalism in the 2010s was tied with an image of “quite luxury”, mainly in design — the use of neutral colours like beige, simple clean lines, logos one had to look closely to spot; minimalism back then was curated, aspirational and often pretty pricey.

For Deva, however, the idea has to do more with “a lifestyle involving a reduction or simplification of material possessions”, and the 23-year-old is not the only one to embrace it.

In an age often defined by its urge for instant gratification of material and non-material desires, a growing section of Gen Z — those born between the 1990s and the early 2010s — is choosing to declutter. The idea has less to do with the rejection of buying things and more about being careful about what deserves spending.

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For Deva, for example, minimalism means keeping just the books she needs on her study desk, buying replacements only after essentials are over, sticking to a few colors when she shops for clothes and cutting out anything that feels like "too much". "I think minimalism is really more about how you think than what you do," she says. In part, of course, her decision to go minimal has as much to do with freeing her mindspace, as the physical space around her — buying more, means deciding more; “It eats up my time, making pointless little decisions every day,” she insists.

Agrees S Shareefa, a 21-year-old Chennai-based student: "The fewer things you have, the calmer you feel.”

In its essence, the idea seems much like Marie Kondo’s decluttering methods, rooted in Japanese organising techniques, which became a rage following the 2019 Netflix show, ‘Tidying Up With Marie Kondo’. The expert herself, however, sets a clear distinction between KonMari, her method, and minimalism. On her website, Kondo states, “Many people have equated my tidying method with minimalism, but it’s quite different. Minimalism advocates living with less; the KonMari Method encourages living among items you truly cherish.”

Which, frankly, doesn’t seem very different from what people like Deva are advocating.

At its core, it can’t be denied that the Gen Z discovery of minimalism is prompted, to a degree, by financial considerations — you get a job, you think you have more spending power, but you move cities, leave the family home and for the first time have to deal with adult issues like rent, paying for utilities, the hired help, transport… Suddenly, the paycheck, which had seemed like a princely sum, is gone before you know it. Inflation and the price of quick-changing fast fashion don’t help matters.

And so comes the wisdom which Jagadeesan K, a Chennai-based professional, has gained at age 26. “I prefer things which will last longer and be reliable for me,” he says.

A 2021 report published in the Journal of Business Research stated, “Minimalistic consumption has received increased attention during the last few years, with a substantial segment of consumers having adopted this notion”. More recently, American management consulting firm McKinsey’s State of the Consumer 2025 report found that about 40 per cent of Gen Z respondents were worried about their financial future.

“Gen Z members have grown up in an economy where inflation was very high, which has impacted their consumption behaviour. Many of them don’t have steady jobs and change jobs frequently,” explains Ashwani Rana, vice president, National Organisation of Bank Workers and a personal finance expert. The volatility of the job market, where news of downsizing appears with disturbing regularity, adds to fears of financial instability. “So they [Gen Z] are conscious while spending and try to invest in mutual funds and stock markets. Those who do feel financially secure prefer to spend more on travel,” Rana adds.

In 2024, social media blew up with the "underconsumption core" trend, a rebellion against shopping hauls, fast fashion, and influencers telling their followers what to buy. Instead of showing off new products, content creators started posting about wearing the same outfit repeatedly, using products until they ran out, fixing broken things and choosing not to buy.

The trend found resonance with Gen Z consumers like 24-year-old Chennai-based researcher, Sheik B. As prices of almost everything continue to rise, Sheik says that the quality of products often does not keep up. "Eventually you just stop trusting brands," he says. Minimalism, for him, became a self-defence against constantly being pushed to buy more.

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With consumer behaviour shifting, brands too have caught on to the trend. An undated article, “Research on attitudes toward minimalistic design in marketing communications”, available on Research Gate, states that people don’t feel like they have enough time anymore to spend on various brand advertisement with cursive text and complicated visuals. Minimal design can reduce cognitive overload, helping consumers focus on what a product actually does rather than getting distracted by marketing jargons.

For young entrepreneurs like Bhavani J, who has started her own cosmetic line PHYTiQ Skin Care in Chennai, minimalism has become both a design philosophy and a business move. She says younger consumers respond way better to simple, clear branding than busy, cluttered visuals. "Minimal concepts have actually boosted sales," she notes.

From the brand’s perspective, Bhavani adds, “minimalism has helped in reducing [post-production marketing] time and resources; we stick to simple packaging and simpler promotions online.”

Beyond commerce, however, minimalism also fits into the sustainability narrative and trends like slow fashion, fuelled by a concern for the environment.

“Many among the younger generation have climate anxiety [defined as persistent helplessness born of living amid environmental collapse],” agrees Srivatsan Ramkumar, communications manager of the not-for-profit conservation group, Environmentalist Foundation of India. “Even when they buy little things like a bottle of water, for example, they worry about where the discarded bottle will end up. When they use tissue paper, they worry about the trees that are cut to make paper.”

The 2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey by multinational professional services network Deloitte found that worldwide climate change and environmental damage ranked among Gen Z's biggest worries.

And so Abia Fathima, a 22-year-old research scholar based in Chennai, has switched to taking public transport more often and only buys things she believes will actually last. “I look for products that last and are eco-friendly, even if they cost more,” Fathima says.

For many, the concept of minimalism has moved beyond filtering material acquisitions to monitoring screen time and career minimalism — prioritising wellbeing and choosing not to let one's identity be all about work.

Saiffi Sondhi, a 23-year-old assistant professor in Chennai, perceives minimalism as not about having fewer clothes but getting her attention back. "For me, using my phone less has become my version of minimalism," she explains. Taking breaks from being online, she says, has helped her sleep better and rediscover hobbies she'd abandoned.

Agrees Deva: "We're drowning in information. Cutting down screen time and limiting social media has completely changed how I think about consuming things. Simplifying choices, both digital and physical, can lower stress and make people happier.”

Many see it as a way to take back control — over money, attention, time, space — in a world that's constantly demanding more from you.

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The transition doesn’t always happen without a struggle. Nikita Singh, a 23-year-old teacher in Delhi, admits social media promotions still make her want things but mindful consumption of content helps keep that urge in check. "I only consume according to my needs. Being intentional about purchases has helped me save quite a bit,” she says.

Increasingly, for India's Gen Z, minimalism is becoming about not giving up on wanting more or enjoying life, but recalibrating what's actually valuable. In choosing less, they say, they are not sacrificing on growth or pleasure, but deciding what's actually worth holding onto.

When Deva thinks about her choices she now sees what she has gained. "It helps me focus on what actually matters, my goals, my studies, my time, instead of always wanting the next thing,” she says.​